Canberra: the heart of south region economy

Released 07/07/2017

A new plan released by the NSW Government today puts Canberra at the heart of the thriving south east region and details how the NSW and ACT Governments are working together to stimulate tourism, investment and better transport and freight links for our region.

The ACT Government has worked hard on our regional development, having helped established the Canberra Region Joint Organisation which brings together the councils of the Canberra Region along with the ACT Government to discuss collaborative efforts on tourism and infrastructure requirements.

This collaboration has already seen dividends. Viewing Canberra as a region of 800,000 as opposed to a city of 400,000 has resulted in major corporations like Costco, IKEA, Qantas and Singapore Airlines establish a presence in the ACT to service the region. Our joint tourism efforts has also diversified our tourism marketing domestically and internationally, which has resulted in record tourism numbers for the ACT and the region over the past few years.

The South East and Tablelands Regional Plan 2036, released today by NSW Minister for Planning Anthony Roberts, recognises a borderless region with Canberra at the centre of South East NSW, as a pivotal economic and social driver for the region.

The report today is an acknowledgement of the strong cross-border collaboration we have with the NSW Government under the ACT-NSW MoU for Regional Collaboration and I look forward to continuing to work with NSW on developing and delivering outcomes for our region.

Under this plan the NSW and ACT Governments will share data on freight movements to improve freight planning and management, which is critical to ensuring the ACT has an efficient, safe and sustainable freight network that connects people, goods and services in and around our region.

We will also finalise a cross border transport model that incorporates the ACT and the Queanbeyan-Palerang and Yass Valley local government areas, which complements our commitment to building an integrated public transport network that meets the needs of our city now and into the future.